OpenAI invests in start-up preventing AI misuse for biological weapons
What's the story
OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, has invested in a start-up focused on preventing the misuse of artificial intelligence (AI) for creating biological weapons. The investment is part of a $15 million seed round for Red Queen Bio. The start-up's co-founder Hannu Rajaniemi said their goal is to ensure that defenses against AI are developing as fast as those who would use these models to harm humanity.
Investment strategy
OpenAI's investment strategy
The investment in Red Queen Bio is part of OpenAI's larger strategy to fund start-ups that aim to mitigate the risks posed by AI. Last month, the company also invested in Valthos, a biosecurity software start-up based in New York. Jason Kwon, OpenAI's chief strategy officer, said they are open to investing in other start-ups tackling similar issues.
Dual use
AI's dual-use potential
AI technology has the potential to speed up drug development and create new vaccines. However, these same capabilities could also be exploited by bad actors to create new and powerful biological weapons. This dual-use nature of AI is one of the reasons behind OpenAI's investment in start-ups like Red Queen Bio.
Start-up background
Red Queen Bio's origins and mission
Red Queen Bio was spun out of Helix Nano, a clinical-stage mRNA therapeutics company that has been using AI in drug design. Helix Nano has also collaborated with OpenAI to develop tests for assessing AI's bio-risks. The start-up will use both AI models and traditional lab experiments to identify new risks and develop new defenses against them.
Share distribution
Board members to take shares in Red Queen Bio
As part of the deal, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and board member Nicole Seligman will get shares in Red Queen Bio. They had previously invested in Helix Nano. Kwon was indirectly an investor through Y Combinator, a Silicon Valley start-up incubator. His stake is worth less than $2,500, according to OpenAI.